[Part2] My Hero Academia and Kagurabachi Authors Discuss: Hands Are Essential for Expressing Emotion in Manga and What Hokazono Learned from Horikoshi’s Approach

Manga creators Kohei Horikoshi of My Hero Academia and Takeru Hokazono of Kagurabachi continue their special interview in this second installment. Hokazono shared that he once disliked drawing hands, but an interview he read about how “hands express a character’s emotions better than anything else” changed the way he approached manga. Since then, he has come to enjoy drawing them. Horikoshi responded, I think you draw them incredibly well.

Special Interview Part1

Manga creators Kohei Horikoshi of My Hero Academia and Takeru Hokazono of Kagurabachi continue their special interview in this second installment. Hokazono shared that he once disliked drawing hands, but an interview he read about how “hands express a character’s emotions better than anything else” changed the way he approached manga. Since then, he has come to enjoy drawing them. Horikoshi responded, I think you draw them incredibly well.

Hokazono was born in 2000 in Osaka Prefecture. His work Enten (炎天) won the runner up prize at the 100th Tezuka Award in 2020. He published Farewell! Cherry Boy! (さらば！チェリーボーイ！, Saraba Cherry Boy) in Jump GIGA 2021 SPRING, CHAIN in Jump GIGA 2021 SUMMER, and two one shots, Knitting by the Window (まどぎわで編む, Madogiwa de Amu) and Roku no Meiyaku (ロクの冥約), in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2022. His first serialized title, Kagurabachi, began in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2023. The series won first place in the Comics category of the 2024 Next Manga Awards in August 2024.

Hokazono on What He Learned from My Hero Academia: “Hands Express a Character’s Emotions”

――What did you think when you first read My Hero Academia?

Hokazono
I first read it in high school. A friend recommended it, and I remember saying, This is great.

Horikoshi
I am glad to hear that.

Hokazono
It was around the end of the U.A. Sports Festival arc. At the time I was not drawing manga yet, so I purely enjoyed the story and the art. I had not read many manga series, but I always bought the new volumes of My Hero Academia, Naruto, and Jujutsu Kaisen.

Horikoshi
That makes me really happy. But stylistically, Kagurabachi is more influenced by Naruto, so I never imagined you liked My Hero that much.

Hokazono
You always tell me, There is no way you like My Hero that much. It is true that Naruto had a big influence on me, but I really do love My Hero Academia too.
Interviewer: Did your perspective on My Hero Academia change after you became a manga artist?

Hokazono
Absolutely. I have learned a lot, not just about character design and expression but about drawing itself. At first, I disliked drawing hands, but after reading the interview where you said “hands are where a character’s emotions show most clearly,” I began to care about depicting them properly. Now I actually enjoy drawing hands.

Horikoshi
You draw them incredibly well. In Kagurabachi, my favorite is the hand posture when Zasuma takes the stance of Iai Hakuseki Style. Same for Chihiro’s stance.

Hokazono:
Really? Thank you. I pay close attention to subtle movements.

The Emotional Impact of My Hero Academia: “Direction Aligned With Readers’ Feelings”

――What do you think is My Hero Academia’s greatest strength?

Hokazono
The way it aligns the direction with the reader’s emotions. For example, there is the scene where Class A goes after Deku to bring him back. The moment when Iida catches up and grabs Deku’s hand. Through paneling, dialogue, and every other element, you managed to portray every character without losing anyone. The emotions of the characters and the emotions of the readers rise together.

The scene where Uraraka shouts from atop the school building is also brilliant. You raise the reader’s emotions through monologues and character perspectives, then show a wide vertical panel of her preparing to shout. And on the page turn, she finally cries out as Deku collapses. It is crafted in a way that never leaves the reader behind.

――Which character in My Hero Academia is your favorite?

Hokazono
Mirio. His battle with Overhaul left the biggest impression on me. He defeats the enemy lieutenant in an instant, but even after losing his Quirk, he keeps fighting. The development is so cool. When you read manga in volumes, there is often that one volume that hits especially hard. For me, My Hero Academia volume 17 is exactly that.

――Is your favorite scene also Mirio’s battle?

Hokazono
It is one of them, but there are others too. I often study your facial expressions, and near the end of the story, there is a scene where Uraraka cries. That expression shocked me. Her face is crumpled, but she is still cute. The balance is amazing. Most artists express emotion with furrowed brows and so on, but in that scene, even the slight wrinkling of her eyelids is drawn in detail. My Hero has many manga-like expressions, but that expression is incredibly realistic without breaking the balance. It impressed me so much.

Source : ORICON NEWS